"Oh Alex, just calm down. Your date is going to be just fine." Liz smiled reassuringly at the boy who'd been her best pal for so many years. She was happy that he was finally getting the chance he deserved with Isabel. If anyone deserved some happiness, it was Alex. He'd been an amazing friend.

"Do you think this shirt looks alright? Cause I've got a couple other ones with different plaid patterns." Alex's expressive face was scrunched up in concentration as if what shirt he wore would totally make or break his date.

"Look, Alex, just be yourself. She likes you!"

"God knows why?" Maria chipped in as she sashayed behind the counter at the Crashdown in her waitress uniform dropping her empty tray on the Formica top. She propped her head up with her elbow and stared dreamily into space. "Oh Alex. Oh Iz." She made kiss-y noises and busted out laughing, making the alien antennae on her headband bob around crazily.

"Maria, I am so not amused." Alex normally took her ribbing with a grain of salt. Today he was just too nervous. This was Isabel. The girl of his dreams. Literally. Tonight he would really be with the girl who'd been invading his dreams for so long. And she was finally ready to make it real. Since Max and Michael had decided that a little human lovin' wasn't a bad thing, she had given in to his request for a date.

"Hey, loverboy. Point taken. But you'd better run along now or you'll be late picking up the princess." Maria playfully shoved Alex off his perch on the barstool.

"Yea, Alex. Good luck, okay?"

"Thanks Liz."

Maria chimed in, "May the force be with you." Alex groaned at her joke as the doors to the Crashdown swung shut behind him.

The doorbell rang at the Evans' house at precisely seven o'clock.

"Of course he'd be right on time," said Isabel to herself. She still hadn't found the perfect shade of lipstick to match her red tank top. With her finger she touched her shirt and then applied precisely the same color to her pouty lips. "Perfect," she thought as she stepped back to survey her image reflecting in the mirror. She wore the red shirt for him and the tight black flare-leg pants for herself. The outfit made her look confident - more confident than she really was. Inside butterflies fluttered in her tummy. "Tonight's the night," she thought. "I won't be an alien tonight. I'll be a girl. All girl- with Alex."

Max knocked lightly on her door and peeked inside. "Your prince doth await you. You look nice Iz."

"Thank you, Maxwell."

"Now, don't you do anything I wouldn't do."

"Well, let's see. I'll try not to heal anyone from a gunshot wound, put out a grease fire with water or get in a shoot out with alien hunter. Think that might cover it?"

"Ha. Ha Isabel. Get out of here. And have fun."

"Wow."

"Hi Alex."

"Wow," Alex repeated slack-jawed and staring at the creature in front of him. It didn't matter what planet she was from; she was the most beautiful specimen he'd ever seen.

"Alex, stop it. You're embarrassing me." Isabel struck a modest pose and blushed.

"I'm sorry. It's just that you look incredible."

"Thank you. I wore the red just for you."

"In that case, thank you!" Alex flashed his boyish grin and Isabel melted. This was the night she'd been waiting for. No more excuses. No more dream hopping. She could be with Alex with no regrets.

Alex lightly touched Isabel's arm to guide her out the front door to his dad's reliable Buick. Tonight was going to be magical.

"I can't believe he didn't even try to kiss me!!!!" Isabel fell dramatically across her bed, lamenting her evening out with Alex. Everything had been perfect. A delicious quaint meal at Roswell's only French restaurant. (He'd even brought her a bottle of Tabasco sauce!) A walk through the park with a stop to play on the old swing set. Isabel hadn't been on a swing since 3rd grade when it became too childish and uncool. But with Alex, she felt so young and yet so mature at the same time. Every second with him had been fun and exhilarating. But, finally when the evening was over he had walked her to the door and stood there staring at her for long agonizing minutes.

"I had a lot of fun," he mumbled.

"Me, too."

"I'm glad you finally said yes to a date with me."

"Me, too." Isabel kicked herself mentally. "You are fluent in English! Say something other than 'me too,'" she thought. "Well, I guess I'll see you in school tomorrow. Won't I?"

"I sure hope so," he said with his endearing grin plaster from ear to ear. Isabel had tried everything to let him know how much she wanted him to kiss her. She moistened her lips with the tip of tongue. Tilted her head. Played with a tiny piece of thread pulling from a button on his plaid shirt. Still, Alex had slowly backed down the steps to her house - his eyes mesmerized by her face.

Why hadn't he just leaned in a few tiny inches to press his lips against hers? She could imagine what they would feel like. Soft but firm. Warm and curious.

"Doesn't he like me?" she wailed into her pillow. Everything in her body wanted to visit his dreams tonight and see what he was really thinking. But she didn't. For once in her life she wanted to do things the normal way. The human way. She wanted things to be real with Alex. So she would have to suffer through. Now she could finally appreciate how Liz and Maria must feel every night after spending time with Max and Michael.

The halls at Roswell High were filling up with students heading to first period. Isabel moped towards her English class like a prisoner off to the electric chair. Her friend Gracie would pump her for information about the date, and she didn't have anything to say. Well, except that his voice had sent chills down her spine when he ordered for her - in French no less! He was just so sexy.

"Agghh." Isabel gasped as she was yanked ungraciously into a small room on her left - the eraser room.

"I'm sorry Isabel. But I couldn't wait one more minute."

Alex pulled her into his arms and leaned in closer to her slightly opened mouth.

"Alex..." She whispered as he placed a feather light kiss on her cheek. And then he held her intense gaze with his own before he placed an identical peck on her other cheek.

"Isabel. About last night..." Alex whispered nervously in a slow gravelly voice.

"Yes?" She answered equally as breathless.

"Well, umm, I was scared because I thought I might not be able to kiss you as well as, you know, all those other guys you've gone out with. But, last night after I left you, I felt like such an idiot. I couldn't stop thinking about you all night. And then seeing you today. Well, I knew that I wanted you so much it didn't matter if I made a complete fool of myself."

"Oh Alex, that's the sweetest thing I've ever heard. But, honestly, there haven't been all those other guys. I mean... what I'm saying is... I've never been kissed. I think I've always been waiting for it to be real. And with you it is."